Stokley Carmichael was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad in June 29, 1941. At the age of eleven Carmichael and his family moved to the city of Harlem and became a naturalized citizen. While attending high school at the selective Brox High School of Science, he bacame friends with the son of a communist and was exposed to numerous black radicals. He later went on to attend Howard University in Washington D.C. In 1960 he joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He recievd a full ride from the Southern Christaian Leadership Conference for students who had been arrested while demonstrating.
He joined the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's and became a freedom rider, traveling through the deep south to promote justice and equality. Carmichael showed his courage and determination to help others throught this hard and trying time, even being beaten by hostile white mobs and arrested and sent to jail for 49 days in Parchman Penitary.
In 1966 he became the Chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and assisted with the Summer Freedom movement. He also sat on the voter registration project in the second Congressional district of Mississippi. That very same year participated in a solitary march against fear in honor of James Meredith who orginally planned the march but was shot by a sniper. The march was to protest racism in America and other civil rights leaders at the time joined in as well such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Floyd McKissick. This historical march came to it's climax when the participants reached Greenwood Mississippi Carmichael was arrested for the 27th time. When he was released he made his most influential speech of his entire movement; the Black Power Speech. He preached for "black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, and to build a community.
Carmichael began to believe in militant and seperatists views. Some of which Malcolm X and Kwame Nkrumah supported as well. Carmichael believed that blacks should completely remove themselves from "traditional" American values and create their own communities and traditions. Other groups in the fight for equality and justice for minorities felt as though Carmichael's views were too high strong and even accused him of being a black racist. He also became frustrated with the American Democratic Party as well due to their conservative ideals and practices during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1967 Carmichael wrote a book called Black Power. He also adopted a slogan of "black is beautiful" and strongly advocated black pride and complete rejection of traditional american dress and ideals. This led to the afro-style hair styles as well as an increase in African style of dress.
Carmichael disagreed with Martin Luther King Jr.'s beliefs of nonviolence alluded to the fact that he believed that he was weak. He joined the Black Panther Party a year later and soon became what was called an honrary Prime Minister. Later in 1969, Carmichael left the Black Panther Party for "its dogmatic party line favoring alliances with white radicals".
In 1970 Carmichael publically criticized the United States for their involvement in the Vietnam War and his passport was revoked for 10 months. We he received it back he and his wife moved to West Africa. There he wrote his second book Stokley Speaks: Black Power back to Pan-Africanism. Stokley Carmichael legally changed his name to Kwame Ture. In Guinea he was charged with attemping to overthrow the government, but only spent three days in priosn before he was released. He was married twice to Mariam Makeba, a South African Singer, and Marlyato Barry,a doctor, but divorced both. He live din a seaside villa where he would greet visitors with a green soldiers uniform and a pistol by his side.
After having great influence in the Black Panther Party and making powerful speeches all across America, Carmichael is held as one of the most passionate, although sometimes thought to be extreme, civil rights leaders of his time. He passed away on November 15, 1984 and is survived by his mother, three sisters, and two sons.
Stokley Carmichael was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad in June 29, 1941. At the age of eleven Carmichael and his family moved to the city of Harlem and became a naturalized citizen. While attending high school at the selective Brox High School of Science, he bacame friends with the son of a communist and was exposed to numerous black radicals. He later went on to attend Howard University in Washington D.C. In 1960 he joined the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. He recievd a full ride from the Southern Christaian Leadership Conference for students who had been arrested while demonstrating.
He joined the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960's and became a freedom rider, traveling through the deep south to promote justice and equality. Carmichael showed his courage and determination to help others throught this hard and trying time, even being beaten by hostile white mobs and arrested and sent to jail for 49 days in Parchman Penitary.
In 1966 he became the Chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and assisted with the Summer Freedom movement. He also sat on the voter registration project in the second Congressional district of Mississippi. That very same year participated in a solitary march against fear in honor of James Meredith who orginally planned the march but was shot by a sniper. The march was to protest racism in America and other civil rights leaders at the time joined in as well such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Floyd McKissick. This historical march came to it's climax when the participants reached Greenwood Mississippi Carmichael was arrested for the 27th time. When he was released he made his most influential speech of his entire movement; the Black Power Speech. He preached for "black people in this country to unite, to recognize their heritage, and to build a community.
Carmichael began to believe in militant and seperatists views. Some of which Malcolm X and Kwame Nkrumah supported as well. Carmichael believed that blacks should completely remove themselves from "traditional" American values and create their own communities and traditions. Other groups in the fight for equality and justice for minorities felt as though Carmichael's views were too high strong and even accused him of being a black racist. He also became frustrated with the American Democratic Party as well due to their conservative ideals and practices during the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
In 1967 Carmichael wrote a book called Black Power. He also adopted a slogan of "black is beautiful" and strongly advocated black pride and complete rejection of traditional american dress and ideals. This led to the afro-style hair styles as well as an increase in African style of dress.
Carmichael disagreed with Martin Luther King Jr.'s beliefs of nonviolence alluded to the fact that he believed that he was weak. He joined the Black Panther Party a year later and soon became what was called an honrary Prime Minister. Later in 1969, Carmichael left the Black Panther Party for "its dogmatic party line favoring alliances with white radicals".
In 1970 Carmichael publically criticized the United States for their involvement in the Vietnam War and his passport was revoked for 10 months. We he received it back he and his wife moved to West Africa. There he wrote his second book Stokley Speaks: Black Power back to Pan-Africanism. Stokley Carmichael legally changed his name to Kwame Ture. In Guinea he was charged with attemping to overthrow the government, but only spent three days in priosn before he was released. He was married twice to Mariam Makeba, a South African Singer, and Marlyato Barry,a doctor, but divorced both. He live din a seaside villa where he would greet visitors with a green soldiers uniform and a pistol by his side.
After having great influence in the Black Panther Party and making powerful speeches all across America, Carmichael is held as one of the most passionate, although sometimes thought to be extreme, civil rights leaders of his time. He passed away on November 15, 1984 and is survived by his mother, three sisters, and two sons.
Citations
"Stokley Carmichael." Spartacus Educational. 22 Feb 2009 <http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAcarmichael.htm>.
Stokley Carmichael." Wikipedia. 22 Feb 2009 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stokely_Carmichael>.